Poetic muse, ancient Greek namesake, two-toned charmer. This herald of spring brings a burst of brightness to ancient woodland and damp meadows.
Common names: wild daffodil, Lent lily, Easter lily, Peter’s leek (in Wales)
Scientific name: Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Origin: native
Flowering season: March to April
Habitat: ancient woodland, damp meadows, fields, grassland
Wild daffodils are smaller and paler than their bright-yellow cultivated cousins, though they share the unmistakable trumpet. They’re difficult to find, but most often grow in clumps, creating carpets in woodland, fields and grassland.
Leaves: flat, narrow and grey-green. They are smooth and have a rounded point at the tip.
Flowers: have a classic daffodil shape of a trumpet surrounded by six petals. The trumpet is a warm, deep yellow, but the petals are much paler, giving them a two-tone appearance.
Not to be confused with: cultivated daffodils that grow in gardens, parks and on roadside verges. They look similar, but wild daffodils are shorter and paler.
Credit: SFL Travel / Alamy Stock Photo
Though they grow throughout the UK mainland, wild daffodils are rare and hard to spot. Find them in ancient woodland, damp meadows, fields and grassland throughout parts of Devon, Cumbria, Sussex, the Black Mountains in Wales, and along the Welsh border during March and April.
Parts of Gloucestershire are particularly well-known hotspots, and the route from Newent in the south to Dymock and Kempley in the north is known as the 10-mile Daffodil Way.
Credit: Jason Smalley Photography / Alamy Stock Photo
As wild daffodils flower from early March, they provide a vital source of nectar for early pollinators like bumblebees and other insects.
Daffodils belong to the same family as snowdrops.
While daffodils are toxic to humans, extracts from the plants have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. One such substance called galantamine is found in the bulbs and is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
The daffodil is the national flower of Wales.
The Latin name, Narcissus, is thought to relate to the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection and was so obsessed by what he saw that he fell into the pool he was looking in and drowned.
The nodding heads of daffodils are believed to represent Narcissus leaning over the water to admire himself, and it's said that the first daffodil bloomed where he died.
In the language of flowers, the wild daffodil symbolises hope, foolishness and unrequited love.
Discover wildflowers when you're out and about with your mini pocket guide to the UK's common woodland plants.
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